ENDGAME

[kentucky_mcgiygas]

[A wall panel in the green room slides out of view, revealing an elevator. Get in it and it will take you down to the hotel (description here), where your fellow contestants - alive and ghostly - await.

You may spend as long as you want here, ordering up as much room service as you like, but when you're read to go home, you'll find that one floor (new to the current hotel occupants) has nothing but doors with your names on them. Exit, and you'll show up exactly where you were when you left.]

((THANK YOU FOR PLAYING EVERYONE. Ghosts, feel free to materialize and talk to people. You may now speak about your prizes.))

Comments

[meatitfeedson]

You guys sure have some luck, huh?

[There might be a bitter tone to that.]

[partcompany]

We've definitely been having a good run lately. We had... a pretty bad run before that. But on the balance, we came out of it with piles of money, so. I can't complain too much.

...I'd take you to Eden-6 too, if you wanted to check it out. Dunno if you're interested in a permanent relocation to future space, though.

[meatitfeedson]

I guess you did your time, then, and traded it for good luck instead.

[She smiles a little for the offer, at least.]

No, I'm good, I need to go back to my family. With any luck they'll be worried sick.

[partcompany]

I figured. Just thought I'd offer in case you decided you'd burned too many bridges. I bet you'd do well in a management position at Atlas.

[meatitfeedson]

Even though I know nothing about that sort of technology? Thanks, I...really appreciate it, actually. If I could bring my husband and daughter, I might actually consider it. He already knows what I am...so as long as things are the same there, I don't care if anyone hates me.

[partcompany]

We need people on the non-technical side of things too. I dunno how you'd get them there with you, though. From here it's just a matter of walking through my door, but...

[meatitfeedson]

...Yeah, that would be tempting. You don't have time machines of some kind yet, huh? It sounds like a place I'd fit in well. I screwed myself too, but I orchestrated a lot of that voting round, so there's my resume for your reference?

But I don't even care to live without him. So I can't go anywhere he isn't.

[partcompany]

That's intense. Well, if that's what you think. We don't have time machines or anything yet, so this is probably your only chance.

How much of that did you orchestrate, though?

[meatitfeedson]

Then I guess that's it. Tell your employees all about the woman you met who would go way further than they could ever dream, okay? Maybe it will up productivity if there's some kind of challenge.

...Well, I thought it would be down to seven contestants if everything went as planned. You, me, Rosa, Eva, Santa, Corrin, and Ib. There were a bunch of times that list changed though, Eva was supposed to go to the hotel at first, Rohan moved on and off the list... It was a stressful day, basically.

[partcompany]

Eh. It's not really further than they could ever dream. Most of my employees are familiar with Handsome Jack, after all. Though I try to avoid using him as an example.

[ ha ha. ]

But, wow. Guess it's really lucky for me you thought I was worth the final seven.

[meatitfeedson]

Who's Handsome Jack? That sounds like a serial killer name.

[partcompany]

Not untrue.

He ran Hyperion, the company I was at before I had my own. Started out as a low-level programmer and took over the whole thing. Pretty famous for a lot of things, including murdering the previous CEO, dumping underlings out of airlocks or killing their children, and wanting to cleanse the entire planet of Pandora with fire. ...A lot of people thought he was amazing though. Uh, me included.

But then... he died. And then later I had a copy of him living in my head... he was the one who took over the space station and tried to kill me. It's complicated.

[meatitfeedson]

...Oh.

[What else do you say to Jack? That's. Wow that's something.]

I guess I can't say I've ever done something like that, no. You looked up to this guy?

[partcompany]

Yeah? I mean... it's not like murdering your opponents is something that started with him. I get the feeling it's a lot more common in my time than most people here are used to. Most of my friends try to avoid it, but, eh. And Jack was... well, immensely successful, obviously, so a role model in that sense, and also, just... he had a force of personality. He captivated people. It's hard to explain.

[Rhys runs a hand through his hair. Talking about Jack is still awkward.]

[meatitfeedson]

I guess it's more that... Well, we take down our opponents, sure. But it's quieter than that. Most of the time they kill themselves for us. We can't draw attention from authorities after all. But dropping someone out of an airlock seems a bit flashy. It would be hard to ignore things like that.

It might be the same result in the end, but execution is everything. Then again it sounds like public execution is what gets people going in your time, so, different cultures and all.

[partcompany]

I mean. Not... entirely. It's not like I'm into public execution specifically, okay. And usually the back stabbing is a little subtler. My rival tossed my boss out of an airlock and that was a big thing. Only Jack could get away with being that... flashy about it. Usually.

...Not because there are authorities or anything. Just, it's a bad move for someone at the lower ranks unless you're really confident about it.